Month: July 2018

The world of Harry Potter meets the world of computer coding in a new children’s coding kit by Kano (for ages 6 and up) that will hit store shelves on October 1. With the Harry Potter Kano Coding Kit ($100, available for preorder) kids are tasked with building a wand, which in turn teaches them about computer programming through the wand’s “magic.” By pairing the wand with a tablet or computer via Bluetooth, children can learn the coding behind cause and effect—as they see how the actions of the wand are reflected on the screen.

“Today, there is a form of magic in the world and it’s the technological projection—virtual reality, prediction, augmented reality—that so few of us understand,” says Alex Klein, co-founder and CEO of Kano. “That’s what makes it magic in a way, is that nobody understands it really except this small fraction of society.”

Last week we told you about a killer deal on the original Pixel (which is still going on), but if you’d rather get some of Google’s newest products for less, now’s the time to act. Pixels, Chromecasts, and Google Home speakers are all on steep sales through July 17.

The Pixel 2 XL, Google’s premier smartphone, is $100 off both the 64GB and 128GB models, bringing them down to $749 and $849 respectively. The phone easily earned our Editors’ Choice award for its great all-around performance, but the Pixel 2 XL’s blending of a top-of-the-line mobile camera with Google’s A.I. magic results in one of the most fun, elegant camera experiences you’ll find in a camera today. And if you want to use the phone’s power to wander worlds in virtual reality, the 2nd-gen Daydream View headset is on sale for $49, 50 percent off its $99 list price.